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Saraswati International School

English - XI
The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse

A. Reading With Insight

Question 1:
You will probably agree that this story does not have breathless adventure and exciting action.
Then what in your opinion makes it interesting?
Answer:
The story „The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse‟ is a tale told from the viewpoint of a
nine-year old boy. At that age, imagination is rich and one can romanticise even insignificant
actions. To such a person the world is full of excellence and glory and life is delightful and a
mysterious dream. For the young poor boy, a ride on a beautiful white horse is a dream fulfilled.
He had been always longing to ride and his cherished dream is realised when his cousin Mourad
offers him a chance to ride on horseback—first with him and then alone. Riding the stolen horse
and hiding it safely are great feats of adventure for the two boys.

Though the story line is thin, we eagerly follow the course of action taken by the boys till they
return the horse to its rightful owner. The story provides us a peep into child psychology. For
boys who are crazy about horses, stealing a horse for a ride is not stealing. Though they enjoy
the thrill of riding, they are conscious of their family pride. The Garoghlanian family is well-
known for honesty and trust. They would neither steal nor take advantage of anybody in the
world. Another point of interest is characterization. The delineation of the common traits of
uncle Khosrove and cousin Mourad is superb. The story also contains many purple passages full of
pictorial description. All these heighten its appeal to the reader.

Question 2:
Did the boys return the horse because they were conscience-stricken or because they were
afraid?
Answer:
The story gives no indication that the boys were afraid of anyone or anything. Hence the return
of the horse was not directed by fear. Secondly, they were not at all conscience-stricken. They
did not feel any pangs of repentance or remorse at their action of stealing a horse solely for
the purpose of riding it. The narrator makes it amply clear when he asserts that stealing a horse
for a ride was not the same thing as stealing something else, such as money. For him, it wasn‟t
stealing at all as he and Mourad were so crazy about horses. In his opinion, it would become
stealing only when they offered to sell the horse, which he knew they would never do.

Mourad had the horse for over a month when farmer John Byro visited the narrator‟s house.
They retained it for two weeks more. Mourad outrightly rejected the narrator‟s suggestion of
keeping the horse any longer. It was his family pride that would not let him steal. He decided
that the horse must go back to its true owner. The meeting with John Byro proved conclusive.
He praised their family for its honesty. He trusted the boys as he knew their parents. Hence in
order to uphold the family tradition and reputation, the boys returned the horse to its rightful
owner.
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Question 3:
What impression do you form of cousin Mourad?
Answer:
Mourad is a young boy of thirteen. He belongs to the Garoghlanian family of Armenia. Their
whole tribe was poverty stricken. In spite of abject poverty, their family was famous for
honesty. Mourad was quite adventurous and had a crazy streak in him. He enjoyed being alive
more than anybody else. Mourad loved horse riding. He had a way with a horse. He had tamed
the horse by his affectionate behaviour and now the horse was no longer wild.

It obeyed Mourad faithfully. His love for the horse is evident in the last scene. While parting,
he put his arms around the horse, pressed his nose into the horse‟s nose and patted it. He also
had a way with dogs. The dogs of John Byro followed them around without making a sound. He
was kind. He treated a young robin which had hurt its wing. He was worldly-wise and knew how to
talk to farmers. Though he loved horse-riding he was averse of keeping the horse for a long
time. He is proud of his family which is well known for their honesty and trust. In short, he is a
lovable chap.

Question 4:
Comment on the role of Aram, the narrator, in the story.
Answer:
Aram plays an important role in the story. Besides being the narrator, he is also a commentator.
He not only narrates the various adventures, incidents and actions, but also provides useful
information regarding the main characters and their behaviour. In fact, he is the fulcrum on
which the whole story rests. He gives a graphic description of the Garoghlanian tribe, its
members, their traits and economic features.

Mourad‟s father Zorab is described as a practical person, whereas Mourad and uncle Khosrove
represent the crazy streak in the tribe. Abject poverty of the family does not diminish his
pride in his family which is famous for honesty. He says, “No member of the Garoghlanian family
could be a thief.” He makes a fine distinction between stealing a horse for a ride and stealing a
horse to sell it off. He gives a fine description of the horse ride and country side with its
vineyards, orchards, irrigation ditches and country roads.

Question 5:
Compare and contrast uncle Khosrove and cousin Mourad.
Answer:
Uncle Khosrove and cousin Mourad have one very important point in common— their craziness.
Mourad was considered the natural descendant of uncle Khosrove in this respect. The second
similarity is their dominating nature. Both use pet words and phrases and roar aloud to quieten
the hearer. While uncle Khosrove says, “It is no harm; pay no attention to it,” Mourad boasts, “I
have a way with horses/dogs/farmers.”

Khosrove shouts at his son Arak, the barber and farmer John Byro. The narrator is a patient
listener to Mourad‟s assertions. The difference lies in their age groups and physical build up.
Uncle Khosrove, a middle aged person is an enormous man with a powerful head of black hair and
very large moustache. Mourad is an athletic young chap of thirteen. Khosrove is irritable,
impatient and furious in temper. Mourad is reasonable in conversation.